Dubbo’s DREAM Festival is returning this year after being on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The festival promises to be bigger and better than ever, providing light, food, wine, cultural entertainment, and music for 10 days and nights.

Dubbo Mayor Mathew Dickerson said the festival offered visitors a way to “Connect, Celebrate and Illuminate” in the Dubbo region.

“The DREAM Festival is one of Dubbo’s flagship annual events and attracts thousands of visitors,” he said.

“It is going to be fantastic to welcome people back to our region to enjoy events over a period of 10 days including cultural, music, illumination and outdoor events.”

Council’s Manager of Regional Events, Kim Hague, said the new look and feel of the DREAM logo was reflective of the current festival and the long-term future of the event.

“We are really excited about the new branding for the festival,” she said.

“The new logo is bright, it’s fun, it’s reflective of the new direction for the event – which is a focus on natural and man-made light.”

This year will mark the festival’s tenth year. Established by a volunteer committee in 2021, the festival is now run by Council.

More than 20,000 people attended the last DREAM Festival in 2019.

This year’s DREAM will feature popular events such as Zoocoustic, Fong Lee’s Lane, and the Lantern Parade.

The festival has received support from Destination NSW’s Flagship Event fund, with a commitment of $30,000 each year for three years.

Macquarie Credit Union general manager, Matthew Bow, said his team were “very excited” to be a major sponsor of the event.

“We have a long-standing partnership with the DREAM Festival, and we are extremely excited to see the return of the renowned community event that everybody looks forward to,” he said.

The DREAM Festival will run from October 16 to 23.